GOP Secretary of State candidate wants to make doing business with state easier

By Cheryl Wadefor the Daily News

Published 8:00 pm, Tuesday, October 20, 2009

A Republican candidate for Michigan secretary of state said she wants to continue with the work of the current secretary and her predecessor to make it easier and more efficient to conduct business with the state.

Michelle McManus, who lives on a cherry farm in Lake Leelanau and is senator from Michigan's 35th District, spoke to Midland County Republicans last week.

McManus first was elected to the Senate in 2002 and won re-election in 2006. As chair of the Senate Campaign and Election Oversight Committee, she believes she would be the best equipped "on day one (to) go in and help administer and run that office."

She said Democrats are pushing initiatives she calls "voter convenience" legislation aimed at helping people get to the polls on Election Day.

Those initiatives have moved to the Senate but not out of her committee "because I'm the chair," she said. Although she believes everyone should have the right to vote, "we only do that by making sure there isn't continual fraud," she said.

Customer service is job No. 1 for the secretary of state, and McManus understands the office most likely will have to do more with less revenue. She wants to follow in the footsteps of current Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and her predecessor, Candace Miller, through their use of technology. She'd like to see the office make partnerships with big-box stores to have kiosks where Michiganians could do basic business.

"You can go to Meijer today and you can get a hunting license (or) a fishing license and you can mail a package," she said, giving an example of how it should work.

In the realm of elections, she said citizens should have a toll-free number to call when they see election fraud.

She also wants to encourage more people to do business online. Renewing a driver license online costs $2, but going to a branch office costs $5.

McManus described herself as a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-tax legislator. She won a straw poll as Republicans' choice to be the next secretary of state at the GOP Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island.

The GOP slate of candidates is very full and it's still a year out from Election Day. They are Calhoun County Clerk Anne Norlander; state Sen. Cameron Brown, R-Sturgis and state Rep. Paul Scott of Grand Blanc. The Grand Rapids Press reports Democrats Jocelyn Benson, who teaches election law as an assistant professor at Wayne State University Law School, and Macomb County Clerk Carmella Sabaugh are considering runs. The paper also reported former West Michigan State Rep. Judy Emmons of Sheridan has dropped out, but a spokeswoman at the Michigan Republican Party office said her office has heard nothing that would confirm that report.